re: Lacy, Collins - not big losses to Bama...Cam would be

Agree, Erulz, and CamRob appears to be a very special player who plays at a position that matters on almost every snap. He's the kind of player who can make the difference in games played on a big stage against the best competition.

re: Lacy, Collins - not big losses to Bama...Cam would be(Posted by H-Town Tiger on 7/7/13 at 5:46 pm to ezrulz)

quote: I don't think anyone would say they prefer Martin and Thompson over Collins. Those guys will be solid, but they don't have the game changing ability of Collins.

Nonsense.

Define "game changing" ability? Can you think of some examples where a S made a play that a)determined the outcome and b) could not have been made by someone else. Collins may turn out to be "better" but only marginally so. Coming out Kirkpatrick was a 5 * "game changer" at CB. He was a great college player and high first round pick. As opposed to 3* athlete Mo Claiborne. The only position where you can credibly argue that 1 player and 1 player alone can make that much difference is QB.

People get too hung up on rankings of players. You need elite level talent to win at a high level. As long as LSU has elite level talent that can compete at the highest level. How the game unfolds between 2 elite level teams depends on a lot of factors.

quote:Yeah, but Willis was the only one who could. Robinson dominated everybody else. The only reason they ranked Robinson #3 is because he couldn't play in pads, not his fault at all. The general consensus on 247 is that Robinson will be the #1 ranked player in this class.

First, "the only one" automatically puts him no higher than #2 right? Second, he isn't ranked #3 on 24/7...he is ranked #5. IF any LA player ends up overall #1, IMO, it will be Fournette, NOT Robinson. BTW, all of this is not a dig at CR at all, but to act like he will be #1 instead of say #5 or #7 etc I think is a reach. But we will see...let's look at the COMPOSITE rankings at the end. Hopefully, they will throw out ESPN (don't know where he is ranked there), because quite frankly, they are just an oddball service.

re: Lacy, Collins - not big losses to Bama...Cam would be(Posted by Purpleandgold2 on 7/7/13 at 6:22 pm to nitwit)

quote:I am no expert but La'el and CamRob are very different recruiting stories. La'el was from right here in BR, in th efirst place. His family was overwhelmingly for LSU; Alabama was never in the equation (his choices included FSU, Auburn, USC among others, but not Ala). Accd. to Rivals he first commmitted in September 2009! He was a 2011 recruit. La'el was always staying in BR and going to LSU. CamRod's recruitment is wide open, abd it represents a true test for Miles. I don't understand why folks find it difficult to acknowledge what the recruit tells us himself. He , unlike others, is entirely credible.

First, Lacy has been used an example for a guy that went for Alabama and to my knowledge, LSU never even offered Lacy. So for OL Collins to be used as always for LSU is no different than the Lacy signing being thrown out of any conversation where LSU lost him...LSU NEVER had him. As far as prospect honesty, some are...some aren't. Please don't tell me you thought Landon Collins was honest when he kept saying LSU was in it vs Alabama in his recruitment. He did not tell the truth...he apparently even misled his mother to keep her off his back.

Once again, Robinson does NOT represent a true test for Les Miles. Sorry, but his recruiting credentials are beyond repute, and you just claiming a test...sorry that means nothing.

re: Lacy, Collins - not big losses to Bama...Cam would be(Posted by Purpleandgold2 on 7/7/13 at 6:28 pm to ezrulz)

ezrulz, IF you go by the NFL draft, then as you stated, Alabama has been a little more talented that LSU. Having said that, as judged by the last several meetings, there is little difference except at the QB position (I think Alabama's have been overrated, but I don't think LSU has had a Division 1-A starting caliber QB since Matt Flynn). The other has been OC. Kragthorpe might have been the answer, but of course he never got a legit shot due to the Parkinsons. When your OC's only previous OC experience was Bowling Green, 'nuff said.

LSU needs to do a better job of QB evaluation (along with all the other teams that recruited Lee, Jefferson, and Mettenberger and made offers to those same QBs) and develop the QBs once they get to LSU. Hopefully, Cameron is that guy and from what everyone reports is already making a huge difference in both WR and QB recruiting. LSU WR recruiting was about to dry up, and that isn't an opinion...it was a fact.

quote:Collins may turn out to be "better" but only marginally so. Coming out Kirkpatrick was a 5 * "game changer" at CB. He was a great college player and high first round pick. As opposed to 3* athlete Mo Claiborne. The only position where you can credibly argue that 1 player and 1 player alone can make that much difference is QB.

People get too hung up on rankings of players. You need elite level talent to win at a high level. As long as LSU has elite level talent that can compete at the highest level. How the game unfolds between 2 elite level teams depends on a lot of factors.

Great post. Hope this doesn't violate a board rule but I am going to quote Gerry Dinardo in the absolute best and most accurate recruiting quote I have ever seen. Dinardo said "The recruits you lose out on are not the ones who hurt you, it is the ones you sign that don't live up to expectations that kill you."

I believe we can throw out examples like the last few LSU QBs, some LSU OL in the past that did squat or were booted from the team, some LBers the same, etc. Many games in the SEC literally are decided by 1 single play...LSU vs Alabama reg season in 2011, LSU vs Alabama last year, LSU vs Clemson last year, A&M vs Alabama last year, Alabama vs Georgia last year, etc, etc, etc.

re: Lacy, Collins - not big losses to Bama...Cam would be(Posted by rjokerlsu on 7/7/13 at 8:20 pm to Purpleandgold2)

Many good points are made in this post about how LSU has lost relatively few players of LA of note, obviously with a few more seasons of Landon Collins at 'Bama still pending.

I would add that few of us will forget how hyped Joe McKnight was and though he did make it to the NFL, he did not have anywhere near the impact that most of the recruiting gurus imagined & his loss was nowhere near as crushing as it appeared it would be on NSD that year.

re: Lacy, Collins - not big losses to Bama...Cam would be(Posted by Purpleandgold2 on 7/7/13 at 10:06 pm to rjokerlsu)

quote:Many good points are made in this post about how LSU has lost relatively few players of LA of note, obviously with a few more seasons of Landon Collins at 'Bama still pending.

I would add that few of us will forget how hyped Joe McKnight was and though he did make it to the NFL, he did not have anywhere near the impact that most of the recruiting gurus imagined & his loss was nowhere near as crushing as it appeared it would be on NSD that year.

Thank you...went back and got all the names I think under the midget era at Alabama:

here are the LA players Alabama has signed, Rivals ratings, and MY OPINION of them as college players:

Luther Davis - low 4* - D Robby Green - low 4* - F (kicked off the team right) Kenny Bell - low 4* - C (nothing special here) Eddie Lacy - med 4* - B+ (not as good as Richardson or Yeldon or Ingram and a short career at Alabama...how good is the guy behind an Arkansas or Vanderbilt line?...nuff said) Sentimore - med 4* - D (short career at Alabama, moved on to Tenn) Sylve - low 4* - prediction of a C grade at best L Collins - 5* - prediction of a B- grade Falkins - low 4* - prediction of an F grade (not a division 1-A caliber WR) T Williams - med 4* - prediction of a C+ grade and will be looking over his shoulder to watch other signees pass him up (other than ESPN, the guy was dropping in ratings his SR season)

quote:Luther Davis - low 4* - D Robby Green - low 4* - F (kicked off the team right) Kenny Bell - low 4* - C (nothing special here) Eddie Lacy - med 4* - B+ (not as good as Richardson or Yeldon or Ingram and a short career at Alabama...how good is the guy behind an Arkansas or Vanderbilt line?...nuff said) Sentimore - med 4* - D (short career at Alabama, moved on to Tenn) Sylve - low 4* - prediction of a C grade at best L Collins - 5* - prediction of a B- grade Falkins - low 4* - prediction of an F grade (not a division 1-A caliber WR) T Williams - med 4* - prediction of a C+ grade and will be looking over his shoulder to watch other signees pass him up (other than ESPN, the guy was dropping in ratings his SR season)

1. What in the world makes you think Collins will be a B-? The dude was a special teams missile last year for them, arguably the top non return/kicker special teams player in the nation last year. The kid is incredible and will be insane in their system. He'll be better than Barron when he leaves.

2. That's a nice list belittling the LA players who have gone to Alabama. Do you by any chance have a list of AL players LSU has stolen from Saban and a grade on them? O wait, not much of a list? Has LSU taken a single player from AL that Saban wanted? Ever?